Temporary Home
by mArTiNaMcBrIdErOx91
Summary: AUish. This is my take on Leo's childhood. What if he was adopted by Frank & Julia when he was eight? Warning: mentions of neglect
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is slightly AU. My take on Leo's backstory. Not much is mentioned about his past in the show, so I thought that this was a very possible situation. Frank and Julia adopt him when he's young, and they help him adjust to his new life. Let me know what you think! **

**FRANK AND JULIA'S HOME**

**WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON **

It was nearing three in the afternoon and Julia was working on the book for Heaven on Earth while nursing a cup of hot tea. It was a cold, rainy day and there was no way she wanted to venture out into the city. She had been on and off the phone with Tom discussing things about the play.

Frank had been working out some new lesson plans, he was planning on going back to teaching Chemistry in the fall and was getting prepared early. They had been looking into adopting a child but they hadn't heard from the agency yet about any kids that needed homes.

Julia's phone rang, and the name on the caller ID read Tom, she answered it right away, since he thought that maybe he'd finally finished the gap in one song. "Hey, finish that new song yet?" she asked.

"just about. Hey, you're probably gonna think I'm crazy, but I think I found you a kid" he replied.

"a kid?" she'd pushed the adoption to the back of her mind because she wasn't sure if they'd ever find a child.

"yeah, I'm friends with a detective, he called me and asked if I knew anyone who was willing to take in a young boy who had just been placed in a group home" the man explained.

Julia went to find Frank and told him what Tom had said, she put her writing partner on speaker phone and let him know. "what happened?" she asked, and felt Frank's arm wrap around her shoulder.

"neglect, he's scared, confused and they don't think a group home is the best place for him" Tom explained.

Julia looked to Frank, he knew she wanted to adopt the little boy, or at least be his foster parents. The redheaded woman sighed, "how old is he?"

"eight. His name is Leo, I told my friend that's the cop that you and Frank were looking to adopt a child, and maybe he'd be the one" Tom explained. Julia sighed, she wanted a baby, but if this little boy really needed a home, she would be okay with it, she knew if he'd ben neglected that they'd have to really work with him but it would be okay, Frank stayed at home most of the day so he would have someone there.

"who do we need to talk to?" Julia asked, looking at her husband for approval. He just nodded, he knew the little boy needed a good family, and they could give him that.

"The detective's name is Carol Brighton, Manhattan SVU, but the kid's social worker's name is Grace Harrison" the man replied.

Frank grabbed a sticky note from his pile and wrote the information down that Tom had given them. Julia thanked Tom and reminded him to finish the song. They hung up and she sat down next to Frank on the couch. "well?"

"I think we should look into this, from what Tom said it sounds like this little boy really needs somebody" the brown haired man replied, rubbing his wife's shoulder.

Julia nodded, "yeah, we can clean up the guest room and make it so he has a place to stay, and just go from there"

Frank smiled, "I'll call the cop. You can start working on the room"

She nodded and went upstairs as the man dialed a number on his cell phone. About half an hour later, he came upstairs to see Julia putting a fresh set of sheets on the full sized bed. "we can meet him in an hour"

Julia smiled, she was surprised, but nervous at the same time. She had no idea how bad things had been for this little boy before now, and hoped they'd be able to work with him and make them better. "that's great" she replied, stuffing a pillow inside a grey pillow case.

"they said it was a pretty bad case, he's tiny, really confused, and the worst part is the parents were drug addicts" Frank explained to his wife.

She sighed, they definitely had a lot to work on, but she hoped an adoption would go through and they could keep him. "we're probably gonna have to make things really routine for him at first because he probably has no idea what to expect"

He nodded, "yeah, we can just figure that out as we go and see what works best for him"

Julia sighed, and went into the closet, she had once bought some boy clothes because they almost got a young boy about Leo's age but it fell through. "I'm bringing him these, who knows what he's got"

"alright. we should probably get going, they said he's at the group home, and the detective gave me an address" the man explained. She nodded and went to grab her purse and some shoes. She was a little nervous, she hoped things would go as smoothly as possible with this little boy.

They took a cab down to the group home and Julia sighed, it was pretty worn down, and there were kids running around outside. Frank wrapped his arm around her and they walked inside. Frank told the receptionist that they were there to meet with Leo's social worker. They met the strawberry blond woman and were taken to a playroom, where a tiny little boy was sitting alone, away from most of the toys and other kids. Julia knew right away that this little brown haired boy was Leo. Her heart broke for the child who looked like he was so out of place. Grace explained that he'd been found by a dumpster searching for food and was removed from his home when the parents were found passed out from drugs. The social worker approached the boy who wouldn't make eye contact at first but when he did he looked terrified. The woman finally motioned for Julia and Frank to approach him, and Julia did, with Frank following slowly behind her.

Julia knelt down to his level and smiled. "hi my name is Julia, can you tell me yours?"

He shook his head, but got a stern look from the social worker and mumbled, "Leo…" Julia sighed, she was a little angry that the social worker was already being so stern with him, and she didn't want to push the little boy too hard.

Julia smiled again, "how would you like to come live with me and my husband, Frank for a while?"

Grace sighed angrily as the little boy shrugged. Julia was glad to be getting him away from this woman. Frank knelt down next to Leo as well, "I think you'll like living with me and Julia, we won't hurt you, I promise"

Apparently those were the magic words, Leo nodded, and the social worker gave them the information they needed and they were back to the cab. They made it to Julia's house and Leo immediately tensed up. He seemed intimidated by the big home and didn't know what was expected of him. Julia gently guided him into the house and he just stood there, frozen.

She sighed, "it's okay buddy, you're gonna be safe here" he didn't know if he should believe her or not. The house was nice and nothing was broken or falling apart like things were at his old house. It was bright, and it looked like there was lots of room.

He stood still, he didn't want to say the wrong thing, there were words he wasn't allowed to use and wasn't sure what would happen now if he said those things. He wanted food, but asking for something like that was wrong, and asking to go potty was wrong too.

Julia put her purse on the counter and knelt down to his level, "I know you're probably really scared, but that's okay. how about we get you a little something to eat and then we can show you your room"

He just looked at her, he had never really had his own room before. and nobody ever asked him if he wanted food. He was hungry, so he nodded. He guessed being offered food saved him from having to ask.

"have you had macaroni and cheese before?" the redheaded woman asked. She figured it wouldn't be too hard to get a kid to like pasta, and it was easy to eat, and would be light on his stomach.

He shook his head. Julia turned to Frank and nodded, the man started making the pasta for the young boy without fighting. This was new to Leo. He barely said a word and was getting food, or he thought he'd get food.

"that's alright, you can try some. I think you'll like it" Julia said, smiling at the little boy.

He just nodded, he was still scared and confused. Julia stood up, and turned on the Disney channel. Frank sighed, he knew he'd be missing several episodes of his favorite show, but it was worth it. Leo still stood there, frozen and terrified to move and take one wrong step. Julia noticed this and sighed, she decided that with some coaxing the little boy would eventually warm up to them. "come on kiddo, you can come sit with me and watch some TV"

He slowly made his way over to the couch, climbed up onto it and just sat there, looking at the screen showing a talking platypus. He recognized this show, he'd watched it with a friend one time and actually liked it. How Julia knew he liked it, he didn't know, but she was letting him watch it and he wasn't going to say anything.

Frank sat the table and finished getting the pasta ready for Leo. He walked into the living room and the tiny little boy was sitting straight up on the couch, his attention trained on the screen. "hey Leo, I've got some macaroni ready for you, why don't you come try a few bites"

Julia smiled, and gave him an encouraging nod, he got up and sat at the table. He didn't hesitate to eat, he was starving, and the food looked like it tasted good. It was better than anything he'd ever eaten, even the cafeteria food that his teacher got him. He wasted no time eating the bowl of pasta and downing the glass of milk that Frank had given him, he didn't want it to be taken away. The man decided to sit by him, "there's some more macaroni if you're still hungry"

Leo tried not to look confused, he didn't know he could have more if he wanted it, since at school he never got more. Frank knew that if he had been searching for food in the dumpster, he probably didn't know what it was like to actually get good food. "oh.." he mumbled after a few minutes. He was still very hungry although the macaroni was helping. He didn't want to eat all of their food though, he knew it was bad to do that too.

"it's okay if you're still hungry and you want more" Frank reassured him.

The little boy just shook his head and got down from the table. Frank sighed and thought that maybe he was a little overwhelmed. He wasn't going to pressure the child to eat, and he knew that the young boy would eventually see that he was allowed to eat whatever he wanted. He just stood by the table, he saw that his show was on but he didn't know if sitting on the couch was okay. Julia noticed that he didn't do anything without being told that it was okay, and that worried her. she felt so bad for this little boy and wanted to make him feel comfortable and help him heal. She calmly told him that he could come sit by her again and he did. His eyes glued to the TV screen and she smiled.

She decided that she wasn't going to coax him to relax or to talk, he seemed content with the TV show he was watching and they would take things slowly, but she knew there were so many things that they needed to figure out. She decided that the next day she'd call a pediatrician, and would try to talk to him about his old school.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This story is slightly AU. My take on Leo's backstory. Not much is mentioned about his past in the show, so I thought that this was a very possible situation. Frank and Julia adopt him when he's young, and they help him adjust to his new life. Let me know what you think! **

**FRANK AND JULIA'S HOME**

**LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT **

Julia sat by Leo and let him watch TV for most of the night while she red through the script. At around nine she noticed he was starting to doze off so she helped him into the bedroom and he did everything he was told, without a question. He climbed on the big bed and curled up in the sheets. Julia smiled, and gave him a stuffed animal, and he just let it lay there by him. She left the nightlight on and went back to the living room to sit with Frank.

Leo tossed and turned in his new bed, it was bigger than one he had ever had before and he just wasn't used to sleeping on something that comfortable. He tried hugging the stuffed animal but it didn't help him so he threw it at the wall.

He noticed it had started raining, he could never sleep when it rained cuz he had to sleep in the attic sometimes, and it was always really loud and usually cold. He just sighed, he didn't think his new home wasn't any better than before.

He tried to pretend that the storm growing outside didn't scare him, but it did. And usually he would try so hard to hold in a scream, or not to wet the bed. He wasn't sure how Frank and Julia would react to him doing either of these things so he just laid stick straight in bed, listening to the thunder and loud rain.

Julia struggled to keep her focus on the lyrics to a song when the storm grew stronger and loud claps of thunder shook their home. She realized it was nearing one AM and decided it was time for bed. Frank had already gone upstairs and was probably sleeping. She turned off some lights and made her way to her bedroom. She decided to check on Leo and walked by his room. From the shadow of the nightlight she realized that he was laying stick straight in bed and the teddy bear had been neglected on the floor.

She sighed, slowly walked in and picked up the teddy bear from the floor. She noticed the little boy flinch at the sound of the thunder and wasn't surprised that he was scared. She walked around to the other side of the bed and put the bear next to him again. He flinched when he saw her hand but she placed it on his shoulder. "shhh"

He jumped at the touch, why was she telling him to be quiet. He was freaked out and was afraid he'd gotten in trouble for throwing the bear on the floor. She started rubbing his shoulder and sighed, she knew he had to be confused.

"it's okay kiddo" she whispered, trying to calm him, but she knew that since this was his first night it would be rough and he might not get much sleep.

He whimpered when the thunder shook the windows and he accidentally let out a tiny scream. He was terrified, he was in a new home, and it was storming, which was something he hated and that scared him. He didn't know what his punishment would be for screaming, at his old house he was beaten and wasn't allowed to eat or even bathe for at least a week.

"what's wrong?" Julia asked him. She knew he was terrified, but she wasn't sure if he knew how to tell her.

He was really confused, he wondered if crying would be enough to get his message to her that he was terrified of the storm and he was really confused. He decided to let a few tears fall and before he realized it he was scrambling to control his loud sobs.

Julia's heart broke for the little boy, she wasn't sure if he was ever allowed to cry and let his feelings out when he was at his old home. She moved around to the side of the bed to face him and he inched away from her. She sat on the end of the bed, "it's gonna be okay kiddo"

He jumped when she started talking to him but whimpered and continued to cry. She smiled at him and noticed he was struggling to calm down. He had always wanted someone to be nice to him and he wasn't sure if his new foster mom would be that person that would take the time to be nice to him and hold him when he cried.

He decided to sit up because he just couldn't take the loud noises from the storm anymore and was terrified. Julia smiled, "come here kiddo"

Leo shrugged but started to scoot closer to Julia and she put a gentle hand on the little boy's shoulder, "it's okay to be scared"

He didn't understand why she was saying this to him, he was told he wasn't allowed to make a sound or have feelings, so he was really confused. He hung his head but Julia could feel his shoulders tense up when it thundered again.

"is the storm scarin you sweetie?" she asked, she had a feeling that it was. She knew that it was common for kids to be scared of thunderstorms, but Leo was terrified. He remembered a day at school where it had started to storm and he was so scared he started to cry when the electricity went out, and some of the other kids made fun of him, and nobody did anything to help him. Since then storms always terrified him but he struggled to keep it in because he didn't want to be laughed at.

He wanted to tell her yes, he wanted to just cry and scream and hide from the storm and everything else that scared him but he had no idea what would happen if he did. Julia noticed the apprehension that was clearly written on his pale face, "you can tell me buddy"

Leo was a little surprised that she was giving him an option to talk, but he decided to nod at first, and see what her reaction would be. Julia smiled, and let him come closer to her. She handed him the teddy bear that had been neglected again and he clung to it. He jumped when it thundered again but Julia started to gently rub his back and he decided that he wasn't going to get hurt so he leaned into her. She wrapped her arms around the terrified little boy and held him close.

He already felt safer when she held him close, but it was a new feeling to him so he was still scared and completely exhausted. Julia started rubbing his shoulder and whispering calming words in his ear. He'd never had someone do this for him before but he decided it was nicer than getting hit and yelled at by his parents that were high.

Julia held him close when it continued to thunder and told him that he was safe inside, and that it couldn't hurt him. She just sighed when she felt the hot tears soaking her shirt.

He was struggling to decide if he should tell her about what happened at his school, but from his past experiences talking about school just didn't seem to do him any good. He also knew that telling someone he was scared was also a bad idea, he often got made fun of, and his parents didn't seem to care that things scared him.

What he didn't realize that Julia was a different person, and that she wanted to help him heal, and have a better life than what he did before. He didn't understand why she was holding him, and the things she was saying and the way she was rubbing his back actually made him feel better.

Julia was thankful when the storm decided to dwindle away and it was only raining. She noticed the little boy had stopped trembling, but he was still crying. There was no doubt in her mind that one of the things the young boy was scared of was thunderstorms. She knew that was something she had to work on with him, or at least talk about. She continued to rub his back and started to gently rock him in hopes of calming him and helping him sleep.

Eventually Leo fell asleep, but it was no where near the peaceful sleep he was wanting. He was unsure of what would happen the rest of the night. He was so used to loud noises and the sounds of his parents fighting that he was a little afraid of the quiet house.

**A/N: I hope you guys like this! Let me know what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This story is slightly AU. My take on Leo's backstory. Not much is mentioned about his past in the show, so I thought that this was a very possible situation. Frank and Julia adopt him when he's young, and they help him adjust to his new life. Let me know what you think! **

**FRANK AND JULIA'S HOME**

**THURSDAY MORNING **

Leo did not sleep peacefully at all that night. He tossed and turned after Julia had laid him down in bed. He woke up and he was pretty sure it was a school morning. he had no idea what time it was and ran down the stairs. He couldn't be late for school, his teacher would be mad, and he'd be in trouble.

He hurried down the stairs to find Frank sitting at the kitchen table eating. He was scared, he wasn't sure what he should say or do to get Frank's attention. He just stood there, stick straight.

Frank turned around and smiled when he saw the little boy standing near him. "hey buddy…"

Leo was startled by the calmness in Frank's voice and he started to tear up. "school…." Was the only thing the little boy could think of to say. He wasn't sure how to explain to Frank that he got hurt if he was in trouble at school.

Frank sighed, he realized that Leo was so confused, and unsure of what was going to happen next. He walked closer to the little boy and knelt down, "you get to stay home today, we want to talk to you teacher and let them know what's goin on. and you need a break to rest"

Leo shook his head, "don't call my teacher!"

"why don't you want me to call your teacher?" Frank asked, he was really concerned about how things were going for Leo at school.

"I'll get in trouble! You can't" he whined. Frank could hear the confusion in the little boy's voice. He knew they really had a lot to work on with him.

"I don't want to call because you're in trouble, I want to know what things are like for you at school so we can help you." Frank explained, the teacher would know how he was acting, what his grades were like and what he struggled with the most.

"I don't need help…" he mumbled, looking away.

"maybe you don't, but I wanna know who your teacher is incase you ever do need help, or if you have a bad day" Frank was glad he was a teacher, he knew sometimes things like this could be hard on kids, and they often struggled a lot. Leo had a lot to adjust to and would need a lot of patience and guidance from Frank, Julia and his teachers. Frank could tell that no one had ever been patient with the little boy and it was probably showing in his school work.

Leo thought for a few minutes, he never liked going to school. Kids made fun of him when he got really bad grades, he got picked on because he was really scared all the time, and he often looked like he wasn't taken care of. There were kids in his class that talked about toys and movies that he had never heard of and was laughed at because of it. he didn't have any of the nice clothes that they had so he was always talked about.

He couldn't understand why he was so different from everybody else. Maybe the help that Frank mentioned meant getting him the toys and movies and clothes the other kids had. Leo remembered the day it was storming and how he almost told Julia the night before. He thought maybe if his teacher or Frank knew about how much storms scared him he wouldn't be laughed at. But he wasn't sure how that worked. He shrugged, all of this was just so new to him he didn't know what to do. The night before crying seemed to keep Julia from hurting him and he thought she was nice.

He let the tears fall and looked away. He was just so confused he didn't know what was acceptable. Frank sighed, he could just see the confusion and fear written on the little boy's face and wanted to do everything he could to take it away. He sat on the floor with Leo and started rubbing his back. "it's okay buddy"

Leo continued to sob and was still afraid to say what was on his mind. His back had hurt from some beatings he'd taken not too long ago and the way Frank was rubbing it actually made him feel better. The eight year old scooted closer to Frank and leaned into him. He thought he felt safe with Frank and he wanted to see if it was true.

Frank smiled, he knew Leo had to be uncomfortable, tired, and scared. He wanted to help the little boy work through everything that had happened, and he felt like this was a step in the right direction. "can I pick you up kiddo?" he asked, he didn't want to startle the child by just picking him up so he thought asking first would be the best for him right now.

Leo was hesitant but nodded. He didn't like sitting on the floor, and Frank made him feel safe. The next thing he knew he was in Frank's arms and the man was still rubbing his back. "It's okay for you to stay home today. Why don't we go find some cartoons to watch, and I'll get you some breakfast"

Leo just nodded into Frank's shoulder and whimpered. Frank sat on the couch with him and helped him get situated, the little boy settled into Frank's side and rested his head on the man's shoulder. Frank turned the TV to the Disney channel and noticed a small smile make it's way to Leo's face.

About 20 minutes later Julia got up and realized her house was quiet, which she was used to. but it could also mean that Leo was asleep or something was wrong. She threw on her robe, and pulled her hair into a loose low ponytail and peeked into Leo's room. She noticed the sheets thrown back and the bear neglected on the bed, so she picked up the stuffed animal and made her way downstairs where she heard the sound of animated voices coming from their TV.

She knew this was where the little boy had to be. She walked further into the living room and smiled when she saw the eight year old curled up next to her husband and half asleep. She smiled at Frank and handed the little boy the teddy bear. She saw a look of fear come across the little boys face. She sighed when he didn't hide himself in Frank or just settle in with the teddy bear. She knew he was still confused, and it would take some time before he settled in.

Frank gently rubbed his shoulder, "just relax buddy, it's okay"

Leo sighed, and just turned his focus back to the TV. Frank helped him relax and he settled down and slowly fell asleep.

Julia walked away and decided to call the school. She wanted to find out how the little boy was doing academically and see what they could do to help him. She found the number in the information the social worker had given her. She called the principals office and the woman picked up after three rings. "Donna Trammell's office…"

"hi, I'm not sure if the social worker talked to you recently, but one of your students is now in foster care.." Julia started, hoping the woman knew about Leo.

"is this about Leo Peterson?" the woman asked.

"yeah, it is. I'm his new foster mother, Julia Houston…" the redheaded woman explained, she was hoping the woman could get her the answers she needed.

The principal pulled up his file and sighed, the little boy was struggling, academically and emotionally. "well from the files I'm looking at now, he's struggling, a lot. If you want you can come in and I can show you some of his stuff and let you talk with his teacher" the woman suggested, she wanted to help make things a little easier for the eight year old.

Julia was actually pleased with the woman's response, she'd get a chance to really see what things had been like for the young boy and help him have an easier time at school. "I'll be in sometime this afternoon, I have to go into work but I have a break around two" she replied, hoping she could get away for a few minutes.

The redheaded woman was able to sneak away from work for a while after explaining to Tom and the director what was going on. Both men agreed to let her go without a fight. She walked into the school building, it was an older school, and it was a little too run down for Julia's liking.

She knocked on the principal's door and a older blond woman answered, and smiled. Julia sat down in the chair and the principal opened up a file folder. She turned it around so Julia could see Leo's last report card. The redheaded woman sighed, the eight year old was making mostly Ds with a few Cs. She knew that she and Frank could help him bring his grades up a lot higher than they were.

"math and reading are his two hardest subjects. His teacher said science is something he really likes, but still struggles because of reading" the woman explained.

"well, my husband teaches science at one of the high schools. That's good to know, he can help Leo a lot. But we'll definitely work on everything with him"

The woman smiled, but sighed, "we don't think anyone has sat and worked with him while he's trying to read, I feel like he might have tried to teach himself"

"I'll try reading with him tonight and see how he does." Julia told her, she was going to pick up some books that the eight year old might be interested in and let him look through them.

"since it's getting close to the end of the year, there's a chance he could be held back, it might be what's best for him so he can have some time to catch up" the blond explained, she knew there was a slim chance Leo could make it on to third grade, but she was willing to work with him.

"we'll just see how he does. There's a lot we have to work with him on, and we want to take it slowly, so he has time to adjust." Julia told her.

"our counselor agreed to talk to him whenever he feels like it. She was planning on sitting with him through an entire day to see how he's really doing.

"that would probably be a good idea, that way we'll know what his biggest issues are and we can work through those first" Julia said, smiling. She was really happy with the way this woman wanted to help Leo.

"alright, I'll have her give you a call after she works with him and let you know how his day went" Donna replied, this would be good because she knew the little boy would probably have a hard time telling Julia about his day and the counselor would be able to pick up on a lot of things that they'd missed before. She hoped that Leo would be willing to cooperate with them.

"that sounds great. Is there a way we can update his information so that you'll be able to get a hold of me or my husband if something happens?" Julia asked, she wanted the school to have the correct information.

"yeah, I'll get you the paperwork and you can either have him give it to his teacher or just bring it back when you can" the woman smiled, searching through a file cabinet. She handed Julia a few papers and the redhead smiled.

"I'll just bring it by, I don't want to scare him by having him bring it to you" Julia replied, folding the papers and putting them in her purse.

"alright. let me know if there's anything else I can do to help him." the woman said, smiling.

"I will. He's gonna start getting better soon, my husband and I are thinking about adopting him" Julia said, getting up.

"he needs a good home. I'm glad they finally got him out of the one he was in" Donna explained.

"have you tried to help him before?" Julia asked.

"we did, but the parents wouldn't do much to continue helping him, so it wasn't making a big difference" she explained.

Julia sighed, "we want him to do better. it's gonna take a while but he will"

"that's good. I hate to cut this short but I have a meeting to go to… but you can call me if you need anything" the principal said, grabbing a file.

"alright, I actually need to get back to work, but we will keep in touch" Julia said, following the woman out the door.

**A/N: Sorry about the wait! I've been super busy and am actually procrastinating homework right now to finish this up for you guys! Hope you enjoyed it! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This story is slightly AU. My take on Leo's backstory. Not much is mentioned about his past in the show, so I thought that this was a very possible situation. Frank and Julia adopt him when he's young, and they help him adjust to his new life. Let me know what you think! **

**FRANK AND JULIA'S HOME**

**THURSDAY NIGHT **

Julia got home from the theater and Frank was cooking dinner. Leo was sitting on a stool by the counter watching him with complete fascination. She smiled, and put her things down on the stairs.

She could tell Leo seemed to be comfortable around Frank, and knew this was a good thing. She smiled at the little boy who looked like he'd had some more sleep and gotten a chance to relax. "hey kiddo, how was your day?"

He looked at her and then down at his hands. He still didn't know how to answer that question, and was afraid of what her reaction to his answer would be. He just shrugged his shoulders and avoided making eye contact with her. Frank turned to look at his wife and smiled, "he was fine, we watched TV all morning and he slept part of the afternoon… and we talked a little bit about school"

She smiled, she would have to ask her husband later what the little boy had told him and she wanted him to know what the principal had said. Frank was finishing up dinner and Leo seemed happy, he liked the food Frank made him at lunch time and he was willing to try something new.

Julia was surprised when the eight year old didn't hesitate at all to eat his food and finished the entire plate. Frank had made spaghetti, he figured it would be something simple for the little boy and he didn't want to scare him. Julia smiled and was also surprised when the boy quietly asked for more pasta. She agreed and let him decide how much more he wanted.

"would you like to go back to school tomorrow?" Julia asked him, she wasn't sure when the last time he'd been there was, and the principal said it had been about a week or so.

Julia noticed a fearful expression on the child's face when she brought up school. She sighed when he just shrugged his shoulders. He considered telling her that he didn't like school, but he didn't want her to be mad. She didn't get mad when he asked for more food so he thought that maybe she wouldn't be mad if he told her about school. "I… don't… like school…" he mumbled.

The woman just smiled at him, and glanced at her husband. By the knowing look on his face this was probably something they had talked about earlier in the afternoon. "do you want to tell me why?" she asked, she didn't want to force him to talk and didn't want him to feel like he had to.

He looked to Frank, he had told the man about the storm and how some kids teased him earlier that day and he wondered if he would tell Julia for him. Leo was a little scared when Frank smiled at him, "you can tell her kiddo, she wants to help you just like I do"

Leo took a deep breath and started to explain what his days were like and how he hated going to school when he hardly understood what was going on. He didn't know why kids called him stupid or why none of them wanted to be his friend. He was near tears when he finished his explanation and Julia gave him a reassuring smile, she was glad she talked to his principal. She decided she'd wait a little while longer to tell him that, and help him feel better about going first.

"we're gonna make sure the kids stop being mean to you, I want to talk to your teacher so she can talk to the kids and get them in trouble, they shouldn't be treating you like that" she told him, but the fearful look was still on his face.

"don't…" he mumbled, he thought that if a teacher talked to a parent that he would get in trouble, which is why he never let his teacher call his mom.

Julia knew he probably didn't understand why she wanted to meet with his teacher, "kiddo, it's not to get you in trouble, it's so we can help you. if you want, we can talk to your teacher together so you can tell her what's been going on…" she offered.

He gulped, he thought maybe he could do it himself. He'd told Frank and Julia, so maybe he could use the exact same words and tell his teacher. "I…. I will myself"

Julia sighed, she wanted him to be brave and have some confidence, so she was going to let him try. She would put in a call to his teacher so she could talk with the woman after school and find out if Leo actually talked to him during the day, or if she needed to help the little boy. "alright, you can. But if you change your mind you can let me know and I'll be there with you"

He just nodded, he was starting to like this woman and wondered if she'd actually help him with his school work. "I…. don't know what's going on at school…" he told her. He felt so stupid sometimes when he had no idea what they were learning, and he hated the fact that he couldn't read.

Julia thought that since he'd brought this up it was a good time for her to tell him about the principal, "kiddo, I talked to Mrs. Trammell today, and she gave me a list of all the things you're learning right now. we can help you so that way you'll understand them more"

He was confused, he didn't know she was going to talk to the principal. "I don't like her…" all of the other boys in his class had said the blond woman was mean, and she got them in trouble a lot. So that scared him.

"why don't you like her?" the redheaded woman asked.

He wasn't sure why he felt like he could talk to his new foster mom so soon, but he was starting to like the fact that he got to eat, and sleep, and watch some of the shows the kids talked about on TV. "she's mean…." He simply said. It was all he knew to say.

Julia couldn't see how the woman she met earlier that day could be mean, but she thought she had an idea. "why do you think she's mean?"

"she gets people in trouble… and yells at them" he told her, with a terrified look on his face.

Julia sighed, she realized that the only side of the principal he'd heard about was the one when kids got in trouble. The woman seemed really nice and was willing to help Leo get better. "when I saw her today she was really nice, she doesn't want you to get in trouble, and she wants to make school easier for you"

Leo was a little confused, he wanted school to be easier but he didn't know if that was possible. "easier, how?" he asked, he thought that his new foster mom was being serious, since she talked to the principal.

This got a smile from both Frank and Julia, but it startled the eight year old. He thought they'd be angry with him for asking, but all he got were smiles, so he was a little confused.

"we're gonna help you with your school work, and we want to make sure the kids stop being mean to you…." Frank told him, smiling.

Julia nodded, "Mrs. Trammell told me today what classes were really hard for you, so now we can work on them and make it easier"

Leo hung his head, everything was hard for him and he struggled just to understand what his teacher wanted him to do. "it's…. too hard…" he whimpered.

He was scared to say anything before now but since Julia had mentioned that she wanted him to do better he thought it was okay to say something. She felt bad for the eight year old, who she thought shouldn't even be in second grade. He was so young and little she was worried about him.

It was early December and nearing the end of the semester. Julia considered for a second taking the little boy out for a semester and enrolling him in a new school come August, that was closer to them and that was in a better area. She wanted to wait and see how he did for the next few weeks before making any decisions. "what makes it so hard?" she asked.

Leo looked to Frank, he'd told the man earlier that day what bugged him the most. He realized that his new foster parents were nice, and liked school, he was just too scared to talk about the things that happened at home. He decided that since Frank and Julia liked school they wanted him to talk about and he felt like he could without getting yelled at.

He silently begged Frank to tell her because he was scared that she'd think it was stupid, and he sighed when the man nodded and explained to his wife that Leo struggled to read and he didn't understand much of anything else because reading was so hard. This was almost exactly like what the principal had told her that morning. She knew now that she definitely needed to start reading to Leo to find out how much he knew.

Julia gave Leo an understanding smile and told him he didn't have to help clean up the kitchen and he could go up to his room or watch more TV. The little boy chose to go up to his room and Julia sighed. "poor guy, he's been struggling to get through for a long time"

Frank turned off the water and squeezed his wife's shoulders, "we'll help him, he really opened up to me earlier today"

Julia smiled, "I know, I know he's still scared, but he's already adjusting"

"yeah, I think one of us should read to him tonight" Frank told her, he wanted to help Leo learn to read soon, things would be so much easier for him.

"I will, I grabbed a few books on my way home, I wanna see how challenging it is for him" the redheaded woman told her husband.

Frank nodded, "I'm gonna finish this, you can go be with him now if you want"

She smiled and kissed him, "alright, I'm not gonna push him too hard right now"

He nodded and turned the kitchen sink back on as she walked up the stairs to the bedroom that had been converted to better suit the eight year old boy.

**A/N: I finished this last night but I was falling asleep as I attempted to post this. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and enjoys reading this! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This story is slightly AU. My take on Leo's backstory. Not much is mentioned about his past in the show, so I thought that this was a very possible situation. Frank and Julia adopt him when he's young, and they help him adjust to his new life. Let me know what you think! **

**P.S. 124**

**DONNA TRAMMELL'S OFFICE**

Julia had arranged for her and Frank to meet with the teacher, counselor and principal while Leo was in school. Julia sighed as she showed Frank the information from the testing they'd done and how low his scores were.

Shortly after they left the office Julia's phone started ringing, "it's Julia…" she answered.

"this is Donna Trammell, I'm calling about Leo…" the woman sighed.

"we just spoke, is everything alright?" Julia asked.

"well, he's in the nurses office, some kids beat him up pretty bad, he's completely terrified" Donna explained.

Julia sighed, "we'll be right there"

The women hung up and Julia looked to Frank, "we have to go back there, now"

"what happened?" he asked.

"Leo got beat up by some kids, they've busted his lip" she explained.

Frank nodded and they made their way back to the school. He couldn't stop Julia from running into the nurses office after they signed back in. he made his way there to find the little boy crying with blood trickling down his lip and a little from his nose.

Julia sat on the green cot next to him, "hey buddy, it's okay now, alright"

He cried and didn't respond. She sighed as the nurse handed her a tissue in hopes of being able to wipe some blood away. She gently brought it up to his face, "sweetie, I'm just gonna put this on your nose alright, and when I do I want you to tip your head back just a little"

He hesitantly cooperated as she helped him. once she was able to get his nose to stop bleeding she let him lean on her. She was given an ice pack and showed him how to hold it on his cut lip. He winced at the cold sensation and threw it across the room, but Frank caught it.

He approached the little boy and knelt down, "I know it's cold buddy, and it'll sting. But it's gonna help make your lip feel better, and that's what we want, right?"

Leo nodded and allowed Frank to put the ice on him again. the older man walked over to the nurse, "what exactly happened?"

She sighed, "well, it was recess, and his teacher noticed he hadn't come to line up to go inside, and found him hiding under the slide. He says he knows who did this but won't tell, and he won't tell exactly what happened either"

Frank nodded, "we can have him meet with the counselor to try to talk about this, or we can take him home and let him rest"

She looked to Leo, who was crying in Julia's arms, "I think he needs that lip looked at, it's split pretty good"

He sighed, "we'll get it taken care of. Is there any way we can have the counselor talk with him before we do?"

She nodded, "I'll page her"

The greying woman came in a few minutes later and Leo trembled with fear in Julia's arms. She sighed and looked down at her foster son, "sweetheart, it's okay"

The counselor was already aware of this situation and pulled up a chair in front of Julia and Leo. "hey Leo, what's goin on?"

He shrugged and clung to Julia, "you can tell her buddy, she wants to make this better"

He cried, "I got beat up…."

The older woman nodded, "it looks like it hurts, huh kiddo…"

He nodded in Julia's shoulder, "my lip really hurts"

Julia rubbed his back and was happy that he was confiding in someone about this, "does anything else hurt?"

He gulped and sat up, "they kicked me…. down there.."

Julia cringed and Frank shook his head. "they? How many kids hurt you Leo?" the counselor asked.

"four…." He cried.

Julia continued to rub his back, hoping to reassure him that she was still there. "are they in your grade? Or in another grade?"

"mine..." he sighed.

She nodded, "are they in your class?"

"Bobby, Cody, Keith… Max" he mumbled.

She smiled, "I'm happy you told me Leo, I can talk to them now and make sure they won't hurt you anymore"

"I wanna leave" he cried.

Julia sighed and wrapped an arm around him, "okay buddy, we will"

Frank slipped out to go talk to the principal and he was extremely worried about the emotional harm this had done to the young boy. The principal released Leo to go home and he went in to tell Julia.

She smiled at Leo, "we get to leave now, how does that sound to you?"

He nodded and sat up. Frank took the Thomas The Train backpack and Julia helped Leo outside. She knelt down by him while they were waiting on a cab, "sweetie, we need to have a doctor check your lip, they'll be able to make it feel a lot better"

"I don't remember the last time I went to a doctor" he sighed.

"it's okay, I'll be right there with you" she reassured him.

he agreed and she smiled when Frank had gotten a cab. Julia told the driver where she wanted him to take them and Leo leaned on her the whole way there, completely terrified of the idea of going to a doctor.

They pulled up at the ER and they were greeted by a young nurse. Frank explained the situation and they were able to get him back within minutes. Julia held him as they hooked him to monitors and offered him a gown.

He backed away when the nurse tried to look at his lip. She sighed, "I won't touch, just look, promise"

He crawled back to the end of the bed and allowed her to look at his bloody lip. The doctor came in and she smiled at the trembling young boy in front of her. "hi Leo, I'm Dr. Morrison, what happened today?"

He looked to Julia who nodded, reassuring him that it was okay to talk. "I… got beat up at school"

She sighed, "from what I see kiddo, I'm probably gonna have to put a few stitches on that lip"

"stitches?" he asked, wide eyed.

"yeah, it's going to help your lip feel better, and it won't bleed anymore, which I know is something you want" she explained.

"I dunno…." He mumbled.

Frank came up and put his arms around the boy's shoulders, "Julia and I are right here buddy, you can hold my hand, and I bet she'll let you sit in my lap"

He nodded, "can i?"

She smiled, "actually, I have some medicine that helps you fall asleep, and you won't feel anything while I'm fixing up your lip"

He shrugged, but Frank smiled, "I'd still be here buddy, promise"

He finally agreed to the sedative and the doctor stitched him up. He was resting as the sedative was working it's course through his system when there was a knock on the door. Julia sighed when it was the social worker, "hi…" she sighed.

"Hi Mrs. Houston… I'm sure you're aware, but we get called anytime one of our foster children end up in the hospital" she explained.

Julia nodded, and stepped into the hallway. "it was an incident at school, we had been meeting with his principal, and were halfway home, when we got the call to come back because he'd been beaten up. The school nurse suggested that we have his lip checked out, and we thought it would be best that we did"

The woman smiled, "once we confirm things with the school everything should be fine. I would like to talk to him, but it looks like right now he's asleep…"

Julia nodded, "the doctor gave him a light sedative because he was scared, he agreed when she told him he wouldn't feel anything during the procedure, and he'd be asleep"

"I would like to meet with him when he wakes up, will you give me a call?" she asked.

"our monthly meeting is in four days… why don't we do it at the same time, so we don't scare him any more right now" Julia suggested.

They agreed and Julia noticed Leo starting to wake up. "now if you'll excuse me, he's starting to wake up"

The woman nodded, and headed out of the hospital to the school. Julia went back into the little boy's ER suite, and smiled at him. She knew he would be okay physically in a matter of days, but she wasn't too sure about emotionally.

**A/N: sorry about the wait, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this. let me know if you guys are still reading, and if you have ideas! **


End file.
